Child Safeguarding
is everyone's responsibility
Child Safeguarding legislation and regulations may seem difficult to interpret in practice and can lead to misunderstandings. This page will clarify some of the common misconceptions that can arise. In so doing, we hope to build a shared Child Safeguarding culture within Early Years and School Age Care settings, as well as society as a whole.
Research
Early Childhood Ireland recently conducted research with our service provider members to investigate how Child Safeguarding is embedded in the professional culture of EY and SAC services in Ireland.
The research revealed both challenges and opportunities for fostering a strong Child Safeguarding culture across different types of services, including private, community, EY settings, SAC settings and combined EY and SAC settings. Five themes were generated from the data analysis. We have used these themes to organise common misconceptions around Child Safeguarding and highlight insights from our members and resources to support building a culture of Child Safeguarding in EY and SAC services.
Discover our 5 themes of Child Safeguarding
Learn more about the Child Safeguarding themes arising from our research
Ready, steady, safeguard
In Early Years and School Age Care settings, Child Safeguarding policies or statements are a one-time event or a finished product.
Not a one-person job
Early Years and School Age Care professionals play a minor role in Child Safeguarding.
Same book, different pages
Child Safeguarding is the same as child protection and consists of general health and safety considerations.
The systemic heartbeat
We can’t move forward from historical legacies.
Ireland’s history prevents a culture of Child Safeguarding today.
What about the children?
Young children can’t reliably express their experiences.
Young children can only verbally tell adults about their experiences.
Guiding principles
Our Child Safeguarding themes are underpinned on some guiding principles for building a shared Child Safeguarding culture in Early Years and School Age Care settings in Ireland.
1) The safety and welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility.
2) The best interests of the child should be paramount.
3) A “best interests of the child” decision should always ensure that children’s views are sought and taken seriously (Mitchell, Lundy & Hill, 2023).
4) Listening to children is integral to creating a strong Child Safeguarding culture.
Resources
We’ve compiled a list of resources to help you navigate your Child Safeguarding journey.
